Cumulant expansions for atmospheric flows

The equations governing atmospheric flows are nonlinear. Consequently, the hierarchy of cumulant equations is not closed. But because atmospheric flows are inhomogeneous and anisotropic, the nonlinearity may manifest itself only weakly through interactions of mean fields with disturbances such as thermals or eddies. In such situations, truncations of the hierarchy of cumulant equations hold promise as a closure strategy. We review how truncations at second order can be used to model and elucidate the dynamics of atmospheric flows. Two examples are considered. First, we study the growth of a dry convective boundary layer, which is heated from below, leading to turbulent upward energy transport and growth of the boundary layer. We demonstrate that a quasilinear truncation of the equations of motion, in which interactions of disturbances among each other are neglected but interactions with mean fields are taken into account, can capture the growth of the convective boundary layer even if it does not capture important turbulent transport terms. Second, we study the evolution of two-dimensional large-scale waves representing waves in Earth's upper atmosphere. We demonstrate that a cumulant expansion truncated at second order (CE2) can capture the evolution of such waves and their nonlinear interaction with the mean flow in some circumstances, for example, when the wave amplitude is small enough or the planetary rotation rate is large enough. However, CE2 fails to capture the flow evolution when nonlinear eddy--eddy interactions in surf zones become important. Higher-order closures can capture these missing interactions. The results point to new ways in which the dynamics of turbulent boundary layers may be represented in climate models, and they illustrate different classes of nonlinear processes that can control wave dissipation and momentum fluxes in the troposphere.Comment: 43 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in the New Journal of Physic

Antarctic marine life under pressure

Next week, the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) convenes in Hobart, Tasmania, to examine the state of marine life in the Southern Ocean. As part of the Antarctic Treaty System, this convention entered into force in 1982, and its focus on the region’s environmental integrity has never been more important, given the increasing effects of climate change and commercial fishing. An important focus over the past 40 years has been Antarctic krill, Euphausia superba (hereafter krill), a keystone species that helps to hold this marine ecosystem together. Climate and fishing stresses should prompt the CCAMLR to address whether management of krill fishing is at a level that protects the Southern Ocean from losing its overall balance of marine life and the oceanic processes that regulate global climate. </jats:p

Timing requires the right amount and type of light

The quantity of UVA/deep violet light varies seasonally and affects locomotor activity in a marine annelid, providing cues for phenology in addition to those provided by change in photoperiod

Weiterentwicklung zwingend

Sonderregelungen sind bei einer ökologischen Steuerreform im nationalen Vor­ausgang notwendig und sinnvoll. Allerdings weisen die in Deutschland reali­sierten Sonderregelungen gravierende und im Zeitverlauf zunehmende Nachtei­le auf. Eine Reform tut Not und ist im Rahmen der Weiterentwicklung der Öko­steuer eigentlich auch noch für diesen Sommer vorgesehen. Allerdings gibt es auch bei den möglichen Alternativen keinen Königsweg